In Loving Memory Of Winston

Winston

Our hearts are heavy as we learned the news that former GSP Rescue alumni, Winston has passed away.

When we first saw Winston back in September of 2017, he was in the last kennel at the shelter in the building that housed adoptable dogs. From the outside of the building, one could not view his kennel as there was a locked gate that didn't allow access. After viewing the front kennels, help was enlisted from one of the attendants to assist in locating Winston. Through a back doorway that housed just a few adoptable dogs, there sat Winston behind the plexiglass kennel door. Unlike many of the other dogs that barked from being stressed, Winston's tail wagged while he appeared to smile as if he was happy to see someone was interested in him. He was overweight, listed as obese on the shelter notes, and 11 years old.

Having to look for a senior dog at the shelter decreases their already slim chances of being adopted. Winston had come to the shelter as a stray several days earlier. Fortunately, he had a microchip, and the owner was easily identified. Unfortunately, when the owner was notified that Winston had been picked up as a stray and was at the shelter, the owner declined to come get him. "I don't want him anymore. I can't keep him in my backyard." Really?!? How does an 11 year old obese GSP escape a yard? He certainly isn't going over any fence but a better question might be, why does an 11 year old GSP escape? Unable to keep him in the backyard leads us to believe Winston was a backyard dog. The shelter had noted alopecia on his intake which is often caused by flea allergies. It's not uncommon, but found more in dogs left outside. While he had obviously been fed, we suspect, due to appearance his coat and skin, it was a cheap food, and due to his weight, he was most likely free fed. Given several days of food at one time would make taking care of Winston much easier for his owner, but would also allow Winston more food than he needed or should have. Being obese makes it obvious that he wasn't getting the attention or walks he needed. What does a bored obese GSP do in the backyard? For Winston it was eat and escape.

GSP's are bred to be companion animals. Not backyard dogs. They enjoy human companionship and desire to be near their people. Winston left the shelter that day with the volunteer intent on finding his kennel. Winston was nothing but a love and at 90 pounds, that's a lot of love!

Nichol was a former adopter. She adopted her GSP, Haley in 2012. Shortly after Winston came into the rescue, she applied for him on our website. In her application she said “I think that maybe Winston needs me. I've been eyeballing seniors for a couple of years now, but haven't quite been ready. I think that he is the one”. And just like that, in October of 2017, Winston found his forever home with Nichol, Haley, her 2 cats, and a whole lot of love.

“Winston’s shelter intake paperwork mentioned his age, obesity and alopecia but when I saw his walk to freedom video on the rescue site, I didn’t see an old, fat and bald dog. I saw one of the great loves of my life. Even from that video I saw that he was the spirit of equanimity. He loved everybody and everybody loved him. At the beach, people and other dogs gravitated to him and he accepted their pets and playfulness without question. At first Winston was afraid of the ocean, but soon got used to it. After a couple of beach days he learned to love standing at the water’s edge with the wind in his ears and the waves kissing his toes . He loved his GSP sister Haley and tolerated his puppy sister Rachel when she became part of the family. He didn’t like hiking as much as he loved his beach walks, and after the time he dug in under a bush and had to be extricated and carried down the trail ( when he weighed in at 80 pounds), we didn’t ask him to hike anymore. Even after he lost 20 pounds, (over a couple of years), he was a lot of dog. His un-docked tail bashed into walls, people and other dogs whenever he was happy, which he usually always was. He won our local newspaper’s Halloween pet costume contest with his stunning rendition of a spider, but didn’t let the fame go to his head. Winston had an old soul, and a young heart. He was a huge presence in our lives emanating a palpable sense of calm and joy whenever he walked into a room or sat by our side.

I am forever grateful that we were able to adopt Winston. We didn’t have him for his lifetime but we were able to give each other a lifetime of love in the years that we had together .

Winston was born in 2006. His Gotcha day was October 4, 2017. He crossed the rainbow bridge on June 11, 2021. He will be in our hearts and our minds until the day after forever”.

We are so grateful to Nichol for reaching out to us about adopting not only a senior dog, but particularly Winston who needed a person who would give him the love and care he so deserved.

In Nichol’s application, she made a statement that was so profound, we wanted to share.

“Until I had a GSP, I don't believe that I had any canine challenges. And then came Haley. If you know and love GSP’s , I don't need to explain. It's just who they are. They are exuberant. They live life to the fullest. Maybe it's not so much a challenge as an affirmation. This is life, LET'S LIVE IT. Like that”.